Beat Procrastination: The Art of Taking Action
If we look beyond just procrastination, most of us aren’t lazy. We procrastinate due to feelings that arise from being overwhelmed, uncertain, or fearing that when you complete a particular assignment, it may not be done perfectly. When a project seems overwhelming or too big for someone’s brain, they’ll immediately begin to search for dopamine through engaging with things that give them immediate gratification—social media.
The key to beating this habit is lowering your barrier to entry and understanding why you’re putting off things.
Why We Put Things Off
Here are the top reasons people tend to put off their work until later on:
(1) Fear of Imperfection: Procrastinating a project because you’re worried about how well the finished product measures up against your lofty expectations.
(2) Vague Goals: Failing to start because you don’t have a clear picture of what the first physical step you can take looks like.
(3) Overwhelming Scope: When we look at everything as a single unit instead of taking small manageable steps.
"You don’t need to be able to see all the way up to the top of that staircase just to walk one more step."
Practical Tools to Start Immediately
Here are some practical tools that I can get started right away:
(1) Apply the “5 Minute” Rule: Tell yourself that you only have to devote your attention to this task for 5 minutes. Then chances are if you get going the momentum will carry you on!
(2) Break tasks down: Divide big stuff into little ones… “write 1 sentence” rather than “write a chapter”.
(3) Eat your frog first: Get the hard/important thing done early in the day before you lose momentum…
Conclusion
Action causes motivation. If you’re waiting to ‘get motivated’ you’ll wait forever.
Start small, focus on progress over perfection and let momentum carry you forwards!